Sports Event Talk – Get Red-y!

Its less than 2 weeks to the Games and I’m so looking forward to watch some of my favourite sports (though I don’t play some of them) like Netball, tennis, synchronized swimming and gymnastics!

In an effort to rally Singaporeans for the final wave of getting “Red-y” to support Team Singapore athletes at the upcoming Games and APG, Sport Singapore has once again collaborated with Giordano, to launch the series of Team Singapore tees. I was very privileged to be invited to the launch event of the Team SG x Giordano Collection on the 22nd May 2015 and even met some of the Team Singapore athletes!

The event started with the introduction of the mascot as well as an Wushu performance by a team of young and adorable (which we ended up making friends with).

The store was filled with limited edition merchandise from the new Team SG x Giordano Collection and the range is very extensive, from kids to adults and accessories as well!

The prices are also pretty affordable so I quickly grabbed mine too! :P

Happy to manage a few shots with these inspiring athletes from Team SG before they had to scoot off and learnt some Wushu posing tips from these little new friends!

From left to right: TeamSG Gymnast: Lim Heem Wei (Olympian Gymnast in 2012 London Olympic Games), TeamSG Waterpolo Player: Lim Yao Xiang (Gold medallist in the 2013 SEA Games), Sheila, Mongchin, TeamSG Sprinter: U K Shyam (Fastest man in Singapore), Me

Us with: TeamSG Para-swimmer: Theresa Goh (Paralympian Swimmer) & TeamSG Wushu Exponent: Tao Yi Jun (World Champion 2011 and Gold Medalist in 2011 SEA Games)

And us with the little talented friends we made aka future athletes!

Get Red-y! Facebook Contest

Want to show your support for the athletes at the upcoming Games? You might even stand a chance to win a set of $80 worth of LIMITED EDITION Team Singapore Premiums!

All you have to do is to ‘LIKE’ Team SG’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TeamSG and follow the instructions below!

The collection can be found in these selected outlets:

Contest will run till 16th June 2015 (2359h) and results will be released on 19th June 2015 at 12pm! Good luck and have fun snapping! :D

Health & Fitness Talk - 5 quick tips to lose belly fats

Okay, so I've been getting too many emails enquiring about how to lose belly/tummy fats. I used to dislike answering this question, even for my clients, because I personally do not believe in spot reduction. But, I'm gonna summarize and share 5 quick tips to expedite your 'getting abs' goals a little!  So here goes!
1. Increase your Protein intake
I have to admit, I get really annoyed when people (especially female) start asking me questions like, "Wah, I don't dare to eat too much protein for fear that I will grow muscles too big!" Because, protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to losing weight! Protein also aids in building and repairing tissues, and is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

In the first place, females will not be able to bulk up like a man because of the meagre amount of testosterones in our bodies. 

Secondly, our bodies (male and female alike) are not able to absorb the full amount of protein in every high protein food that we consume. Moreover, studies have shown that the amount and quality of protein consumed was inversely related to fat in the belly and that people who eat more and better quality protein actually have less belly fats.  So what are some examples of the high protein foods?

Eggs (unprocessed)

Prawns and fish

Salmon

Chicken Breast

Tofu (for vegetarians)

Of course, there is protein in other meat, poultry and seafood, nuts and seeds and vegetables like asparagus, spinach, broccoli, etc. Go ahead and do a quick google and I'm sure you will be able to find some of your favorites that you can eat enjoyably! :D
2. Avoid Processed food, go WHOLE

This, is something I highly emphasises especially on my clients.

If you cannot see the read deal, avoid it!

If you cannot even see the fibre of chicken, or fish or vegetables of any sort, chances are, the food has been processed (unless you homemake the food from scratch). OR, if you cannot figure out how the food is made, avoid it! Healthy food should be simply made and prepared. I’m not asking you to cut them out totally (because there are some that we cannot even avoid), but just reducing your intake on these foods. :D

Here are some examples of processed foods:

Donuts, chocolates, waffles, sweets, carbonated drinks, sweetened drinks, pizza, puffs, etc.

Processed carbs

If you are willing to take up the challenge (and have the budget to do so), go whole grains as much as you can. Well, eating healthy unfortunately, seems to be really high maintenance in Singapore because healthy food are generally more expensive. However, do not fret, Singapore is swiftly and steadily catching up to the trends of US and Australia and very soon and hopefully, we will be able to have more access to healthy food at more affordable prices! *fingers crossed so do not lose hope!
3. Go easy on the Sugar

I had a personal experience while I was preparing for the Yahoo! shoot with Cheryl Tay. I had less than a week to prep and I cut down sugar totally, not even sweet fruits like banana, papaya, watermelon, etc. I could see a huge difference in the belly area and I loved it! However, even for me, sugar is a must in my daily diet, I quickly went back to having sugar right after the shoot! :P But what I made a point doing, is that I cut down my sugar intake drastically, especially to just as early in the day as possible.
If you need to eat something sinful, do it as early in the day as possible!
I love to advise my clients this way because I'm human too, and I love to eat what I love too! :D When you do that, you usually have the next half of the day to burn it, even if it means just walking around and not working out. But, if you can, start getting used to making little changes to your daily life by ordering your drinks with less sugar, cutting down on sweetened drinks, especially carbonated ones (makes your belly bloat) and slowly cut these sweetened drinks out from your life completely. Go for green tea and drink ALOT of distilled/filtered water (less sodium). Its not that difficult, actually. All you need is the right mindset!
4. HIIT often
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of training, alternating periods of short, intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. HIIT is a form of cardiovascular (cardio) training and if done correctly, can achieve improved athletic capacity and condition (for athletes), improved glucose metabolism and improved fat burning. Then I have clients who are looking to build mass (even females) and they are afraid to lose muscle mass and look skinny when I make them do short HIIT. Well, cardio exercises/training done at a higher intensity for a shorter period of time will not only help you maintain your muscle, but may actually help you build muscle mass (building up on the fast-twitch muscle fibers). Studies have also shown that when HIIT is done correctly, your body gets into an 'afterburn' effect which is known as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), which simply put, is a process where your body burns more fats to fuel the restorative process (of hormone balances, phosphagen stores, carry out cellular repair and oxidize built-up lactic acid) even up to 38 hours after you finished the HIIT. 
This form of training doesn't have to be long, but to be done correctly, they have to be really INTENSE.

5. Tighten your Core
It is already a good news that you are starting to workout and doing HIIT but to maximize your workouts and trainings, I always emphasize and nag non-stop about tightening your core when I train my clients and of course, this in-built nagging is constantly in my mind during my own workouts and in my daily standing, walking and sitting down too.
This would mean, tightening your core when you are standing still, walking and sitting down (which will naturally also keep your back straightened and chest upright). 
Try it! And when it comes to working out, yoga-ing, running, jumping, dancing (whatever form of exercise you do), also try to tighten your core to make your workouts more effective! I actually found this instructions on livestrong.com and I thought it could serve as a simple guide if you do not know how to tighten your core (while working out and not). (Credits: http://www.livestrong.com/article/424203-how-to-contract-your-abs-when-exercising/)
Step 1:  Locate your transverse abdominis -- a deep abdominal muscle that helps keep the abdomen flat -- by placing your hands on your hip bones at the front of your pelvis. Once you've located the bony portion, move your fingers in toward the center one inch and down toward the pubic bone one inch. 
Step 2:  Inhale deeply, getting your diaphragm at the bottom of your belly into the action. 
Step 3:  Exhale and pull in the muscles under your fingers, thereby tightening that transverse abdominis. If it helps, visualize drawing your navel in toward your spine. When you're contracting the muscle it should feel tight and not bulge out. 
Step 4:  Practice a few deep inhalations and exhalations while keeping your hands in that same position, so you'll get used to the feeling of tightening in that transverse abdominis. When that muscle is tight, all other muscles of the abdomen should be contracted as well, since the core muscles all contract together as one unit. 
Step 5:  Begin your workout warm-up, practicing deep breathing techniques throughout, so you'll get used to breathing deeply from the diaphragm as you work out. 
Step 6:  Return your thoughts to your abdominal muscles any time you think of it. Straighten your spine, pull your shoulders back and down, and pull the abdomen in to about 30 percent of maximum tightness, aiming to maintain that tightness throughout the workout; you don't need them to be fully contracted. Place your hands back on the transverse abdominis if you're not sure whether you're contracting enough. If you use a smartphone during your workout, you might try setting an alert every two to five minutes, reminding you to contract your abdominals.
SO, I hope you can learn something new from my sharing and feel free to contact me if you need help to kickstart your fitness journey or achieve your fitness goals! :D
Always remember though,

Health & Beauty Talk – Collagen in our body

[Sponsored post]

I learnt from a beauty course I attended years ago (before I even knew about aging) that women’s skin actually start aging as young as 18 years old. That really scared the shit out of me because I was 21 years old then and had wasted 3 years of not doing anything. So I started becoming very conscious and spent so much money on products that contain collagen, mainly application, trying to prevent my skin from premature aging.

So, what is collagen?

Collagen is a protein found in our bones, teeth and muscles that supports cellular activity. 70% of skin is made up of collagen that helps keep our skin firm and bouncy.

Just as we associate collagen to the pillars supporting our skin or acts like the spring in a mattress, when the supporting pillars sag or springs wear out, the “padding” of skin dissipates; which means there will be loss of firmness and wrinkles starts to appear. Recent research also proves that we start losing collagen even in our twenties or earlier.

Losing collagen will make our skin lose its elasticity and have wrinkles, just like a withered apple. The more collagen we lose, the older we will look!

Where can we get collagen? 

Collagen can be found in cows, fishes, chicken, pigs, seaweed and can be extracted from the skin, bone, cartilage or scale. In most sources, there is a challenge of extraction technology, molecular size and absorption capability so research have shown that there is a good amount of quality collagen in deep sea marine fishes with the most appropriate molecular size for absorption by our body.

Kinohimitsu Collagen Diamond 5300mg Drink

For the longest time, I have been trying to look for a good collagen drink as it is not only safe for consumption but is easily digested and absorbed by the cells in our body. Years of getting collagen applied to my skin have proven little effect and age is catching up. #truestory

With Kinohimitsu Collagen Diamond 5300mg, I can now look forward to hydrated skin, tighter pores, lesser fine lines, radiant and glowing skin! Not only does it offers you all the beauty benefits, do you know that collagen actually helps with your health too? It’s been proven to help with joint and bone health, as collagen is one of the most necessary amino acids and one of the major connective tissue in the body.

I was glad to be introduced the Kinohimitsu Diamond series and happy to give it a shot because of these reasons:
- Only collagen brand that is SGS tested (no additives, no hormones, no preservatives, no chemicals, no artificial colouring)
- Ingredients extracted through advanced technology
- Sugar free (sweetness from fruit’s extracts)
- Collagen from deep sea marine fishes’ scales (that means it’s pure, high quality & that explains why It’s so great tasting and that there’s no fishy taste)
- Ingredients are carefully formulated to ensure our body can absorb properly
- Molecular size of collagen peptide is small enough for easy absorption by our body

Also, do you know that Kinohimitsu products are 100% natural? 

So, I decided to give the Diamond Nite to mummy and take the one in the day since I have a habit of taking my supplements first thing in the morning. I love how the taste is so yummy and that it’s not too sweet (I could drink more than 1 bottle just for the taste!). Mummy takes the Diamond Nite and she’s loving the taste of it too! Its also amazing how the results are almost immediate and I’m already planning to get my next batch of supplies! 

In fact, Kinohimitsu Diamond Nite is the first collagen drink in the market that helps you to sleep better while repairing your skin at the same time! Sleep time is very important as this is the time when your skin starts to renew and repair damaged skin cells. With the added ingredient - Manuka Honey, it helps reduce inflammation and promote effective healing and rejuvenation too! 

Best of all, I’m very surprised to see changes in my skin suppleness (though it may be slight)! My skin feels slightly tighter and the crow feet are starting to show less! Super stoked and very very impressed! Okay you may not be able to see much difference (I know) but I can totally feel it so thumbs up! :D 

Good news! 

So, only for my readers, you get 30% off your total purchase when you quote ‘limaranxkino’ at checkout here! (http://kinohimitsu-eshop.com/) This is only valid till 31st May 2015 so hurry get yours! I’m already planning for my next month’s supply! :P 

Another good (or even better) news! 

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Kinohimitsu and stand a chance to win ONE YEAR supply of Kinohimitsu Diamond Series and Goldheart diamond pendants! 

Facebook 

1. Like Kinohimitsu Singapore (https://www.facebook.com/KinohimitsuSingapore) 

2. Like the post 

3. Share a selfie of yourself and your mother in the comments part of the contest post and tell them what is the BEST BEAUTY TIP your mother has shared with you. 

4. Tag two of your friends in the post 

5. Share the post on your Facebook wall 

Instagram 

1. Follow us on Instagram @KinohimitsuSG 

2. Like our contest post 

3. Share a selfie of yourself and your mother and tell us what is the BEST BEAUTY TIP your mother has shared with you. 

4. Tag @KinohimitsuSG and hashtag #KinohimitsuSG and #KinohimitsuCelebrates 

*Accounts have to be made public to be eligible for this contest 

2 grand winners will stand a chance to walk away with one year supply of Kinohimitsu Diamond Series and a set of Goldheart Diamond Pendant each (total worth $2,000) Contest ends on 10th May 2015, 11.59PM. 

3 consolation winners will walk away with Kinohimitsu hampers worth too. Good luck everyone! I will definitely hope to get ONE YEAR SUPPLY of Kinohimitsu Diamond Series! :P

Fashion Talk – ZARA with the man

Jason and I were invited to the ZARA store to pick our clothes for each other few weeks ago and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (at least for me)! We both know what we look good in but at the same time, very willing to try out different styles picked by each other.

We were invited to the Somerset 313 outlet since the one at ION Orchard was under renovation. The expansion of ZARA ION Orchard will be reopening next month and I cannot wait!

The store at Somerset 313 is huge and spacious and shopping (and running around) was a breeze because we don’t really have to worry about walking into people’s paths. The staff were friendly and helpful so we really enjoyed the shopping experience which took us almost 3 hours! :P Okay, Jason started out being very enthusiastic about picking clothes for me, until we were walking up and down the store more than twice. HAHA! Picking clothes for Jason on the other hand, was really easy. I know what he likes and what he will look good in so the process was greatly shortened!

So, these are the outfits J had selected for me and we brought them all to Bali with us. J picked a lot of basic white tops for me because he knows I love the prints and details of the bottoms at ZARA and of course, they have a wide selection of white tops for us to choose from!

Straw Fedora: ZARA 

Tie-front Top: $59.90 

Striped linen Bottom: $59.90 

Chain Sandals: $79.90 

J remembered I always had this straw fedora hat I had gotten from ZARA some time ago and he loved seeing me in any form of head wear so the first outfit he chose was specially to match that straw fedora. He picked a simple white top with tie-front and shorts with some navy (the stripes) to match the navy (belt) on the straw fedora. The chain sandals was love-at-first-sight for me, he had no choice but to pick it! :P

Metal-front Top: $59.90 

Paisley Palazzo pants: $69.90 

White soft Clutch: $45.90 

Leather Sandals: $55.90 

The second outfit was inspired by the Balinese art that we would be expecting to see during our trip to Bali so J picked paisley prints to match with another simple white cap-sleeved top, white clutch and leather sandals to allow the prints on the pants to stand out. So brilliant of J!

Necklace front Top: $59.90 

Striped Palazzo pants with drawstring: $55.90 

Leather shoulder bag: $189.90 

Okay, there were too many instances of love-at-first-sight because this pants was another one and to top it off, it was retailing at a really affordable price of $55.90! So, again J was tasked to pick items to match this striped palazzo pants. He still thought the pants, though striped looked rather plain so he picked a necklace front white top to slightly enhance the overall look and a full leather shoulder bag. I was actually quite surprised at this particular choice because he had always preferred me carrying a clutch than a bag.

Mandarin-collared linen shirt: $109.90 

Denim embroidered shorts: $49.90 

J and his obsessions with dressing me in shirts started way back. But I did not look very good in shirts before I started working out (I used to have very narrow shoulders). I told him I wanted to look less formal in one of the outfits so he picked a subtle denim shorts with embroidered details to allow the shirt to stand out a little more. I really love this outfit because it feels super comfortable!

Drawstring dress: $69.90 

Animal printed leather Sandals: $55.90 

This dress was picked by J after he realized none of the outfits that he had picked was a one-piece. Final choice was this drawstring dress in a perfect shade of blue which left him nodding in satisfaction when I came out of the changing room. He then found another leather sandals with animal prints to match this dress which I thought was a great choice (and affordable at that too)! Thumbs up! :D

J and I have been fans of ZARA and I really like how the quality had improved over the years and prices still made very affordable! We really had an enjoyable time shopping at ZARA Somerset 313 and I absolutely cannot wait for the reopening at ION Orchard tomorrow!

ZARA will be reopening its store at ION Orchard and we would like all of you to join us there tomorrow, 7th May 2015, 10am – 12pm!

We are so looking forward to the expansion and reopening of ZARA at ION Orchard and we hope to see you there too! ☺

For latest fashion inspirations and updates, head over to www.zara.com!